POPULIST GOVERNANCE ON THE RISE: THE CASE OF DUTERTISMO IN THE PHILIPPINES By ESPIRITU Rovil Angustia THESIS Submitted to KDI School of Public Policy and Management In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF DEVELOPMENT POLICY 2019 POPULIST GOVERNANCE ON THE RISE: THE CASE OF DUTERTISMO IN THE PHILIPPINES By ESPIRITU Rovil Angustia THESIS Submitted to KDI School of Public Policy and Management In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF DEVELOPMENT POLICY 2019 Professor Park, Hun Joo POPULIST GOVERNANCE ON THE RISE: THE CASE OF DUTERTISMO IN THE PHILIPPINES By ESPIRITU Rovil Angustia THESIS Submitted to KDI School of Public Policy and Management In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF DEVELOPMENT POLICY Committee in charge: Professor Park, Hun Joo, Supervisor Professor Kim, Dong-Young Approval as of December, 2019 POPULIST GOVERNANCE ON THE RISE: THE CASE OF DUTERTISMO IN THE PHILIPPINES Abstract This study explores the central elements of Dutertismo – Rodrigo Duterte’s brand of populism in the Philippines in his first three years in office. Using Paul Taggart’s analytical theory on populism, this paper argues that upon Duterte’s assumption to office, he has used populism to maintain a steady grip on power, while concurrently portraying “Others”, particularly members of the once dominant Liberal Party, the media, Roman Catholic Church and most controversially, drug users as enemies of the State; and sheds light on how Duterte deals with reactions from external actors such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and international human rights groups who, according to him, have been ‘attacking our sovereignty’. It also looks into how he justifies and legitimizes his populist actions by framing and exaggerating the drug problem as a national crisis, exploiting national surveys and the social media, and offering vague policies and agenda. Lastly, this paper presents the chameleonic nature of Duterte’s politics by looking at his coalition with relatively liberal institutions such as the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines, and his relationships with the Communist Left. This analysis gives us an unprecedented opportunity to move from discussing the explanations on the rise of Duterte in 2016 into exploring the nuances of Rodrigo Duterte’s regime and major developments in the Philippines three years after his electoral victory. Keywords: populism; Dutertismo; Rodrigo Duterte; Philippines iv Copyright by ROVIL A. ESPIRITU 2019 v To Mom, Dad, Kuya Rovidel, and Gift vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I extend my profound gratitude to the following people who never ceased to support and believe in me throughout this research journey: To my thesis supervisor, Professor Hun Joo Park, finishing this research would not have been possible without your guidance, support, and words of encouragement. Thank you for patiently reviewing my drafts despite your busy schedule. To Professor Dong-Young Kim, thank you as well for agreeing to be one of my committee members and for all your pieces of advice. To KDI School and NIIED-KGSP, the scholarship opportunity that you have given me greatly contributed to my academic and personal growth. I promise to pay it forward. To Team PH and KDIS friends, you, guys, have been my family here in Korea. Thank you for our bonding moments and intellectual talks that motivated me to continue, especially when I was struggling to find the light in my thesis. To my family, Mom, Dad, Kuya Rovidel and baby Gift, I know that the three years I was away from home have been a struggle, but you remained supportive of me all throughout. Thank you so much for letting me achieve my dreams. You all served as my inspiration to finish this research. Most of all, to God, thank you for constantly being with me in this journey. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF FIGURES x 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 5 2.1 The International Liberal Democratic Regime and the Global Populist 5 Wave 2.1.1 Liberal democracy and its vulnerabilities 5 2.1.2 Contemporary challenges in the liberal democratic West 6 2.1.3 Democratic Backsliding beyond the West 7 2.1.4 Populist Ascendancy 10 2.2 Populist Ascendancy in the Philippines 10 2.2.1 Attempts to explain the electoral victory of Rodrigo Duterte and the rise of populism in the Philippines 11 2.3 Gap in Literature and Significance of the Study 16 3. FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY 17 3.1 Theoretical Framework: Paul Taggart’s Theory on Populism 17 3.2 Research Design and Methodology 19 4. CONTEXTUALIZING DUTERTISMO: POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINES INFLUENCING DUTERTE’S APPROACH TO POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE 20 4.1 The ambivalent character of elite democracy 20 4.2 The success and shortcomings of the Benigno Aquino administration (2010-2016) 22 5. CASE STUDY: THE PHILIPPINES UNDER POPULIST DUTERTE 28 Elements of Populism in Rodrigo Duterte’s Politics as Observed in his First Three Years in Office 29 5.1 ‘Othering’: The dangerous “others” and the enemies of the State 29 5.2 Performance of a national crisis: Framing and exaggerating the drug problem as a threat to national security 35 5.3 ‘Heartland’: Defiance of international backlash 39 5.4 Vagueness or lack of core values 42 viii 5.5 Charismatic leadership though mass mobilization projects and vague policies and agenda 43 5.6 Chameleonic nature: Coalitions with the PNP, AFP, and the Communist Left 49 6. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION OF IMPLICATIONS 52 6.1 Summary 52 6.2 Conclusion: Philippine Society in the Era of Dutertismo 53 6.3 Discussion of Implications 55 BIBLIOGRAPHY 57 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 Drug-related deaths, by type of incident (July 1, 2016 to December 18, 2018) 34 Table 4.2 Perceived urgency of selected national issues and the national administration’s performance ratings (March 23-28, 2018) 37 LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 4.1 Anti-drug operation-related deaths, 2017 vs. 2018 35 Fig. 4.2 Satisfaction with government’s campaign against legal drugs (September 2016) 38 Fig. 4.3 Importance of keeping illegal drug trade suspects alive (September 2016) 38 Fig. 4.4 Perceived quality of infrastructure 49 x I. INTRODUCTION Rodrigo Duterte’s inauguration on June 30, 2016 as the Philippines’ 16th president was a key turning point in the country’s history. Almost as old as the post-Philippine independence, Duterte is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, the country’s southernmost island also considered to be the most conflict-ridden and impoverished. He is also the first Filipino local politician, having been Mayor of Davao City for 20 years, to be catapulted to Malacañan Palace, the nation’s highest seat of power in Manila. Duterte’s electoral success, however, is not an isolated case. It is part of a populist movement that has been sweeping many countries across the world. In recent years, much of liberal democracies have seen a trend of electoral setbacks to another. Strongman populists have started to depose the liberal establishment. This global populist wave has given rise to increased attention among scholars, reporters, and politicians alike, and prompted a seemingly intense and on-going debate centered on searching for a general explanation for its rise and success. In the Philippines, significant political occurrences over the past 50 years have highlighted the transition from authoritarianism to a distinct phase of democratization. Between 1972 to 1986, the country was under Ferdinand Marcos’ authoritarian rule. During this period, he put the country under martial law that gave him direct control over the state, and accumulated large amount of wealth for his family and his cronies. After the fall of Marcos in 1986 through the “People Power Revolution”1 led by democracy icon Corazon Aquino, a new “EDSA 2 Republic” was put in place. This was underpinned by a new 1 Also called the EDSA Revolution, was a nonviolent uprising in the Philippines in February 1986 that led to the collapse of Marcos’ authoritarian government and the installation of Corazon Aquino as President of the Republic. 2 EDSA is an acronym for Metro Manila’s main highway, the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, where the series of rallies and protests occurred. constitution anchored on the institutions, values, principles of liberal democracy. Ironically, it also led to the prevalence of ruling elites and developed an illusion of democracy through periodic elections, and reinforcement of system checks and balances among government institutions, among others. The liberal democratic establishment persisted to the succeeding administrations, although under different narratives: Fidel Ramos’ “Philippines 2000”, Joseph Estrada’s “Erap para sa mahirap” (Erap for the poor), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s “Strong Republic”, and Benigno Aquino III’s “Daang Matuwid” (Straight Path). Arguably, the establishment has seen its highest and lowest points during the Aquino administration. In his six years in office, the country has experienced impressive economic and political improvements, as supported by reports such as the International Institute for Management Development’s (IMD) World Competitiveness Yearbook and World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, among others. However, a series of events and crises, particularly the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) Scandal, Mamasapano Incident, and Typhoon Haiyan rehabilitation tested the legitimacy of this prevalent political order. The electoral victory of Duterte in 2016 is a clear example of the rise of a populist in government since the country’s experience of multi-dimensional crises under the Aquino administration. His first three years in office has seen the limited capacity of domestic actors to react against Duterte, in which neither the established political parties nor independent institutions have had enough legitimacy and influence to oppose his administration.